


Addiction

by Maquiskat (Lilahkat)



Category: Star Trek: Voyager
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-22
Updated: 2011-06-22
Packaged: 2017-10-20 15:53:08
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,729
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/214423
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lilahkat/pseuds/Maquiskat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Q finds that he can't do without his favorite starship captain, in one way or another.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Addiction

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: J/Q fiction. This is again technically non-consensual. However there is no violence or even rough sex. However consider yourself warned.

The pain was incredible. The queen was falling to pieces, literally in front of her. It was done. She was done. All she had to do was close her eyes and let the pain consume her and it would be over. Taking a final breath, Admiral Janeway allowed her eyes to shut and waited for awareness to fade away.

Nothing happened.

"uh hum… Are you quite finished here, Kathy?" Janeway opened her eyes once more, to find the tableau around her frozen like a statue and Q looking down at her with an arrogant, self satisfied smirk on his face. "You know you could have avoided all this…" He looked around the queen's chamber with disdain before settling his gaze back on her and crouching down to her level. "… unpleasantness, just by agreeing to be with me. Instead, what have we both been left with? Me, I'm a single parent and you…" He shook his head and stood. "I don't think we have to get into that now do we?"

"What do you want, Q?" Kathryn hissed past the pain that wracked her body still and managed a withering glare at her old nemesis. "Isn't there a rule about you interfering with humanity now?" A spasm of pain tore through her body and she lurched forward, silver hair spilling over her face. Then just as suddenly as the spasm started, it stopped but not just it, all the pain in her body stopped. "Q, if you're trying to help me, you're not. Now set things back the way they were and let my destiny play out."

"Helping you," Q's lips twisted into a cruel grin. "You mean you finally bought into the idea that I cared about you? I finally convinced you?" Q clucked his tongue and shook his head. "The only person I intend on helping is myself. Just like you always suspected…" Q knelt again and caught her chin with his hand. "What I want my dear, is what I always wanted from you… You."

A sudden bright flash of light enveloped them both and they reappeared in an elegantly appointed suite, full of rich fabrics, soft pillows and comfortable furniture. "A little corner of the continuum I requisitioned for you… I think you should be comfortable here." Q turned to face the Admiral with a flourish.

Slow, determined steps brought her in front of the omnipotent being. "Put me back, Q. I don't know what you're playing at…"

"I'm afraid I can't do that, Kathy… You see when we left the cube, time resumed and well now there isn't anyplace to put you back to." As she opened her mouth to speak, Q pressed his finger over it. "You see, because you don't belong to this timeline, the Continuum ruled that you were exempt from the non-interference rule as soon as you'd done interacting with anyone from this timeline. So as soon as the Queen fell to pieces so to speak, well you became fair game." Q pulled away from her and settled on a plush couch, idly picking at his fingernails.

The Admiral's eyes narrowed dangerously and she stalked towards him, "Why would the Continuum even *care* about whether I was or wasn't exempt from your non-interference rule, Q?"

"Kathy, playing naïve doesn't suit you." Q watched her unconcerned by the dangerous look the older version of the Captain gave him. "I petitioned them, of course. You turned me down once, but now that I am unencumbered by my mate, and you are at the end of your line… Well I decided that it was the perfect chance for *us* to finally happen."

Kathryn looked heavenward, tossing her hands up into the air. "There is no *us*, Q. There has never been an *us*. There will never be an *us*… I. Don't. Want. You. And the sooner you get that into your head the happier I will be." Tilting her chin up, she focused her most determined glare on the pest, not allowing any of her uncertainty to show in her expression despite the unsettling thoughts in her mind.

Chuckling softly, Q smirked at her. "I am omnipotent you know, you can't hide those thoughts from me. Never could. I just never bothered to let you know that I could read them." Slowly he rose from the couch and moved towards her purposefully, "You don’t understand why I still want you. Before it was about the Continuum and you were young, beautiful, desirable. Now there is no need to create a child and you are no longer the woman you once were…" His hand slid along her chin as he slowly circled behind her. "That is why the Q are superior to your little race, Kathy. To me you *are* as desirable as you were then because you are still you." Leaning forward he purred his words into her ear and a shiver ran down her back in reaction to them. "And now you're mine…"

In spite of herself, Janeway felt a shock of pleasure run through her body from his words. Then the reality of who this was and what he had done quickly reasserted itself and she jerked away from him. "I am *not* yours." She snarled and whirled to face him once more. "If you can't put me back…" Her spine stiffened like steel and she pushed her survival instinct down forcing the words from her mouth. "… then snap me out of existence. Like my timeline, I shouldn't exist anymore."

"You wound me, Kathy." Q sniffed dramatically. "To think you consider oblivion preferable to sharing your new existence with me. Of course, you'll have plenty of time to make it up to me since you don't have any say in this. As I was saying the Continuum ruled in my favor, so as far as they're concerned what I do with you is my concern." He smiled wickedly. "They've never been that concerned about humanity recently anyway."

Assuming a familiar pose, her hands rooted firmly to her hips, Kathryn met his gaze defiantly. "Keep me here if you want, Q, but if you think this is a way of winning me over you're sorely mistaken." With that Janeway turned away, moving to the chair furthest away from her omnipotent suitor and fixing her gaze on a point across the room.

"Perhaps, I'm not worried about winning you over at all…" Q intoned ominously then snapped his fingers, disappearing in a bright flash and leaving her alone in her new habitat.

=/\=

Days passed for the Admiral with no sign of Q. No need went unanswered, food appeared when she hungered, coffee or whatever she desired when she was thirsty. Survival instinct didn't allow her to ignore her needs, but she refrained from eating too much, consuming only the absolute minimum. Unwilling to partake of too many of the luxuries Q left, Kathryn slept on the couch at first, restraining her curiosity and not venturing beyond the initial room and the small washroom that was the first door she'd opened when she'd begun her search for one.

Only when Kathryn remained in her uniform until she couldn't stand herself any longer, did she finally investigate what lay behind the other doors. Finding a lavish bedroom with a four poster bed, walk in closets full of clothing obviously created to suit her tastes, thick Persian carpets and a huge ensuite bathroom – the main fixture in it a whirlpool bathtub that made the size of the room seem small. If it hadn't been for the fact that she was a bird in a gilded cage, Kathryn probably would have appreciated his attention to her tastes more.

Stripping away her uniform, Janeway folded it carefully and set it aside. No matter how tempting it was, she wasn't about to relax. As long as she was in uniform it was easier to maintain that control, the distance she required, so cleaning her uniform and putting it back on was her next order of business after she'd bathed. Determined to keep even her bath perfunctory, she ran the tub half full, refrained from activating the jets and scrubbed herself down as quickly as she could manage. It shouldn't have surprised her as she stepped from the tub, that her uniform was gone from where she had left it, but her fist clenched in frustration. "Damn you, Q." She hissed as pulled a towel from the rack and wrapped it around herself. "This isn't going to work you know. No matter how nice it is, a cage is a cage." She bit her lip in frustration. Why wouldn't he understand that if she was forced to live, she needed to be free as much as she needed any of the other amenities he was providing her with.

For a few minutes, Janeway was torn between remaining wrapped in the towel or searching through the closet for something marginally suitable. While she didn't like the idea of using anything Q provided for her, the idea of him finding her in only a towel was even less desirable. Taking a deep breath and shaking her head, she made her way into the closet and sorted through the clothes it contained. On second thought, most of what it contained was to her taste to some extent but seemed tailored to some twisted wet dream of Q's. Most of the outfits being too tight, too much cleavage or some other deficiency for her taste. Shaking her head in frustration, she couldn't understand why the omnipotent being would leave her clothes like that except to humiliate her. She tossed aside a skimpy satin nightgown with a growl. There was no way anyone would want to see her in most of this. Selecting the least of evils, Kathryn found herself a soft beige blouse and a pair of matching leggings that suited her purposes then moved back out into the main room.

Settling down on the couch, a bowl full of Irish stew and a glass of dark beer appeared on the table before her. With a rueful shake of her head, Kathryn lifted the bowl and began to eat, finally acknowledging the gnawing hunger that had been building since she had refused to eat either breakfast or lunch. As she ate her dinner Kathryn couldn't help but consider her situation. In her weaker moments, she thought she was being unfair to Q, most of the time though, no matter whether she preferred life to death, she couldn't escape the fact that he had taken her choice from her, and seemed determined to continue doing so.

Almost as though her thoughts had summoned him, Q appeared on the couch beside her and leaned in quickly to kiss her cheek. His lips felt as though they burned her skin, leaving their mark behind in a tingling in her skin that flowed through the rest of her body and settled in her groin. "Honey, I'm home…" As the words left his mouth, a knowing grin settled on his face.

Kathryn set aside her bowl and stood up, glaring down at her absentee host and ignoring the unsettling feelings that had suddenly appeared in her body. "This has to stop Q… Why do you refuse to understand that a life here, confined to this place is no life at all?"

"Now, now, Kathy…" Q caught her hands and drew her down to the couch once more, a gleam in his eyes at the stunned expression she took on as he touched her. "I have every confidence that you'll adjust to life here in the Continuum." As she settled down beside her he began to idly run his hand up her arm, watching as a flush built in her pale skin.

Catching her breath after his first touch seemed impossible, the more he touched her the more her body responded. Her skin was hypersensitive, a rush of electricity flowing through her with every touch, and seemed to be feeding the growing ache between her legs. Shaking herself to gain control, Kathryn pulled away from him enough to be out of his easy reach. "What are you doing to me, Q?"

"What?" Q reached out and stroked the back of her neck, "This?" His thumb ran along her sensitive spot, making her back arch simply from his touch as the fires of his manipulation hit the already responsive flesh. "You need to relax and from what I understand this is one of the best ways to make you humans relax." A mock innocent gaze met hers. "Isn't it helping?"

Outside of making love, Kathryn had never experienced such intense sensations. Her body had never been so ready for sex. Her panties and leggings were soaked through, her nipples pressed against the soft lace of the bra, even the delicate material rubbing against them sending shocks of pleasure through her body. She wet her lips and forced the words through her lips. "This is wrong, Q. You can't force me…" Her words faded into a soft moan and panting breath.

"That's where you're wrong, Kathy." Q purred menacingly as he looked into her eyes. "You see I could force you. I could make you forget everything but me. I could turn you into a willing concubine." His hand came up to stroke her cheek. "I don't want to do that though… I want *you*." He leaned in letting the warm breath, that his human form necessitated, flow over her lips. "You can still say no… You can still turn me away. You just have to control your instincts to do so." His thumb traced a trail of fire along her jaw. "But it's been so long… And I could make you feel so good." His other hand trailed down to caress her breast through her tunic, pinching the nipple and rolling it between his fingers. "I want you my beautiful. Kathy… I went out of my way to rescue you. To make you this home. Let me worship you, my pet, as you've never felt before."

"Not. Yours." She managed out between soft gasps of breath.

Q's other hand slid down her body and between her legs, caressing her center through the soaked fabric. "Then tell me to stop and I will."

The refusal was on her lips, but it died as Q's hand stroked her sex gently but persistently. The electrical charge of his fingertips seemed to negate any shielding effect of the fabric between them, as they circled the sensitive bud of nerves beneath. Closing her eyes, her body was trembling with an orgasm that seemed just moments away and had it been anyone but Q bringing her to these heights, Kathryn would have given herself over to the pleasure without regret. The fact remained however that it was Q and as much as she wanted this release she couldn't just give in to him. She opened her eyes once more and tried to push the words from her mouth, but again only a soft whimper escaped her lips.

It wasn't fair, of course, but whoever said a Q had to fight fair. Besides the fact that the sight of this older version of Kathy, writhing against his hand, a flush in her checks, pleasure clouding her eyes was intoxicating, even for a Q. Her struggle against giving in to him made his imminent victory all the sweeter. The battle lasted only a few moments longer, then her eyes closed and her lips parted slightly, a pink pearl of her tongue showing between them. As her body shuddered convulsively against his hand, there was no question in Q's mind that she had lost. "That's it Kathy… Enjoy the sensation, give into it, let it possess you. The first taste is always free…"

Conscious thought had fled her body as her orgasm had overtaken her, all that she was aware of were the hands on her that were causing her such exquisite pleasure. Thoughts of Q left her mind as her need to experience the ecstasy that tormented her overwhelmed her sense of self. Her body was singing with pleasure as she writhed through her first orgasm, breath panting from her lips. Never in her life had she felt as good as she did right now. Every molecule of her body was experiencing this orgasm, not just one localized area or another. A familiar voice echoed in her ears, "Let it flow over you, through you…"

Vaguely, Kathryn was aware that she wasn't where she had been and that the constrictive cloth that had covered her form was gone. Not that either concerned her at the moment. Her perceptions were dulled and sharpened by the continuous waves of sensation that rolled through her, raising her consciousness from her physical, pain filled existence to this transcendental bliss filled state. Another wave of pleasure shot through her as she felt more skin press against her own, the pleasure increasing exponentially as her underlying feelings of loneliness faded away, able to truly feel the other who pressed against her, his pleasure at running his hands over her body, his hard member tight against her buttocks. A moan of approval escaped her lips, and she parted her legs for him, beaconing him to enter her, become one with her despite the fact that the rapture engulfing her prevented any recognition of her partner. Though knowing instinctively that this would intensify the joy she was feeling throughout the core of her being.

Pulling her tight against his now unclothed human form, Q couldn't help but smile as Kathryn parted her legs, inviting him to mate with her. Trailing soft kisses down her spine, he rolled her over onto her front and drew her hips up, positioning the head of his cock at the humid entrance of her sex. He teased the soft lips with the spongy head, running it up and down through her slit, gently nudging her clit with it. She whimpered and ground her hips back against him, bringing a gleeful laugh to his lips. "Once I slide inside of you, Kathryn, you will be mine…" He purred, knowing her conscious mind was so suppressed that even though she heard his words, they didn't mean anything to her except that she wasn't alone. "Are you sure you want to give yourself to me?" His voice was vaguely sarcastic as he spoke. Q couldn't help but laugh as she 'answered' his question by pushing herself back on his cock, impaling herself fully, a soft squeal of pleasure escaping her lips as her body stretched to accommodate him. "Well, if you insist, Kathryn." He chortled as he took hold of her hips and began to hammer his length into her eager body.

A thrill ran through her body as she joined with the other fully. Her body adjusting to his length as she pushed back against him, welcoming him inside her physically and experiencing the subsequent ripple of pleasure through her very soul. His emotions washed over her, pushing away doubts that plagued her, reinforcing her desirability, her beauty, chasing away specters of unhappiness that colored her day to day life. She could feel their bodies throbbing together, his hands on her hips pulling her back to meet the insistent thrust of his member deep inside of her. Her body reawakening sensations that she had long forgotten with the fevered pumping of his cock inside of her. The muscles inside of her rippled around him, milking his length as each thrust tapped her cervix, drilling deep inside of her core.

There was no other way to describe Kathryn Janeway but exquisite, even for a Q. Which was just as he had known she would be. Even the limited physical manner of making love in a human fashion took on new dimensions with her body beneath his human form, with her muscles rippling around its cock. If any mere mortal was worthy of a Q, then the woman who writhed beneath him was it. Of course she wouldn't be mere or mortal for much longer. He reached up and stroked the soft silver of her hair. She would be his mate for all eternity… and while not a Q herself, there was nothing mere about being the mate of an immortal being. As his hands slipped down to caress her breasts, kneading the soft flesh, and pulling hard against the hardened nubs of her nipples, Q reached inside of his new lover with his mind and made several intrinsic changes to her being, while she was still under his influence, before he lost control inside of her, filling her with the essence of his being.

Satisfied with what he had done, he gave into the human instinct that called to this form. Leaning over her back, his thrusts became more powerful, pressing deep inside, battering the mouth of her womb. His body tensed for the explosion as he felt the pressure build inside his cock, then suddenly a rush of rapture that he'd never experienced before tore through him. An explosion of pure energy filled Kathryn's sex, filling her womb and merging with her body as Q shuddered against her, sharing the essence of himself, of the Continuum with her in a way no mortal had ever experienced before.

Inside of her womb, to Kathryn Janeway, it felt as though someone had turned on a sun lamp. An exhilarating heat that spread through her insides, suffusing every cell with it's radiance. Her already enraptured body peaked once more, her emotions seeming to blend with that of her lover, her body and his almost fused together as they convulsed in unison. As the last of the spasms shook them, she felt her lover roll from her back, settling along side her in the bed. Satiated and content, she pressed herself closer to him, burying her head against his chest and pressing the soft rounded curves of her body tight to his. Secure against his body, after experiencing the intensity of his feelings for her.

=/\=

The throbbing in her head intensified as Kathryn opened her eyes and tried to sit upright, her body aching with the effort. After a moment she collapsed back against the bed, trying to fathom exactly what had happened the night before, sorting through the disjointed, fuzzy memories that clouded her mind. Echoes of the pleasure she had experienced overlaid the pain, and a flush colored her cheeks as she remembered the almost continuous orgasm that her body had been subject to. Stretching out an arm, her hand grazed a tousled mass of hair, alerting her to the presence of someone else in her bed, and all the memories fell into place at once.

Bolting from the bed, in spite of the pain it caused her, the Admiral moved to the washroom, where her stomach rejected its contents violently. Staggering away from the toilet, Kathryn covered herself with a bathrobe and stumbled back into the room, clutching the small round of her stomach as it lurched sickeningly once again as she considered the other occupant of the bed and her memories of the night before. "Get. Out. Q." She hissed, drawing herself up painfully as she glared at her despoiler, still lazing in the bed.

Q's eyes opened lazily and he gazed at the Admiral's barely clothed form with lasciviously. "Good morning to you too, Kathryn." A self satisfied smirk crossed his face as he sat up and stretched. "Last night was incredible. If Chuckles knew what he was missing, he certainly wouldn't have taken up with the drone."

"You're despicable, Q… You forced me." Kathryn hissed.

Completely uninhibited by his nakedness, Q pulled himself out of the bed and strode across the room until he was directly in front of her. "On the contrary, Kathy. I didn't do anything you didn't let me do…" Q taunted, wanting to see her anger. She was even more beautiful like this. Blue gray eyes flashing, silver hair mussed, nostrils flaring while she looked for a weapon to use against him, her softer, more inviting body tensed for action. He reached out to stroke her cheek soothingly, knowing the effect his touch would have on her.

Remembering how he'd entrapped her the night before, Kathryn batted his hand away, with as minimal contact as she could manage. Even still the jolt of his touch through her body, even from such a short contact, beaconed her to submit to the pleasure he could bring her once again. "Go to hell, Q. You manipulated me. If you hadn't made me feel…"

"… good. If I hadn't brought you more pleasure than you've felt in the last few pathetic decades of your existence, perhaps even your life. If I hadn't shared myself with you, soothed your doubts about yourself as a woman." Q cut her off. "Why do you persist in allowing your pride to rob you of any pleasure your life might bring you?"

Kathryn's eyes narrowed. "I need to be free, Q. I need to choose my own destiny…"

Q cut her off once again. "Oh yes, I see where that's done you so…" He drew the word out juvenile-y, "… well in the past. You were about die, I saved you. You needed a home, I created one for you. Quite frankly, Kathy, you're far better off with me than you have ever been on your own." Pausing for a moment Q closed the distance between them once again and looked into her eyes. "I'm not a fool, Kathy. I am not asking for your love. I'm a Q. Q are not even capable of love. I am asking for your companionship. If nothing else we would never be bored."

For the first time in their association, Q was lying to her, and the only reason she knew it was because of what he had shared with her the previous night. That scared her more than anything else she could think of. Staring up into his eyes, a part of her argued that Q was right, she was better off with him. A part of her that flooded her mind with memories of last night and the omnipotent being bringing her sexual bliss. The stronger part of her denied it still.

Breaking away from him again, Kathryn paced to the other side of the room. "Either let me go or get out, Q." She fought to keep her voice from shaking as she spoke, crossing her arms over her chest as her hands gripped her upper arms hard.

"I don't suggest that, Kathy…" Q intoned ominously.

Kathryn whirled, her eyes dark with anger as she focused on him once again. "Let me go or get the hell out." She snarled unreasonably.

"You always have to learn things the hard way, don't you Kathy?" Q sighed then shrugged. "So be it." A bright flash of light enveloped him, but his last words reverberated in her mind. "Don't say I didn't warn you."

=/\=

At first she thought it was her own disgust and stress from what Q had done to her. Her stomach never settling after he disappeared from the cage he left her in. Before the day was out, she was pacing nervously, despite her upset stomach, unable to find a calm center. Forcing herself to sleep, seemed like a reasonable solution, reasoning that the next day would be better.

It wasn't.

She woke early the next morning, drenched in sweat, her silver hair matted to her head. Once again she stumbled to the washroom, the dark circles beneath her eyes and the almost palsy like shaking of her limbs leaving her horrified. Death warmed over looked better than she did at that moment. Splashing some cold water into her face and sponging herself down with a wet cloth was the most she trusted herself to do in the condition she was left in, barely able to pat herself dry as her limbs became weaker with even the simplest of efforts. Forcing herself out into the main living area, she huddled on the couch, the tremors in her body growing worse as she moaned in pain, and summoned something to eat with her mind. The coffee was bitter on her tongue, and the thick, honeyed porridge as it slid down her throat made her want to wretch once more. Rolling herself in the blankets she brought with her, Kathryn now understood why Q had warned against turning him away.

Addicted. To sex. With a Q. And now she was in withdrawal. If she hadn't felt so horrible the situation might have almost been laughable. Instead she rolled over to face the back of the couch and forced herself into unconsciousness once more.

Finally hours later, her bladder forced her to awaken once more, but as she tried to raise herself from the couch she fell to the floor. Her own legs too weak to support her weight. Cursing under her breath, Janeway crawled towards the bathroom, unwilling to give up even now. Her breathing became more labored with every move she made, stars appearing in front of her eyes as her vision became tunneled. With a soft moan, Kathryn's body failed her. Her rumpled form collapsed in a heap, half way to the washroom, her bladder released into a puddle beneath her.

A bright flash enveloped her prone form and she reappeared nude on the bed, her soiled clothing and the remains of her accident on the floor disappearing into nothingness. Another bright flash returned Q to the scene, no hint of the self satisfaction on his face that Janeway would have expected to see, if she were awake. Instead he sat on the bed beside her unconscious body and ran his hand along her cheek, smiling sadly as she moaned and rolled towards him, towards what her body knew she needed now. He sat silently, his hand on her cheek, watching impassively until her breathing evened out and her rest seemed to become more peaceful. With a snap of his fingers, a basin of water and a soft cloth appeared at his side. Regarding it somewhat reluctantly at first, he lifted the cloth and soaked it thoroughly, wrinkling his nose disdainfully. As he began to wipe away the sweat that had accumulated from her brow, her soft skin glistening with a slightly wet sheen, Q admitted to himself there was something appealing about caring for her this way, instead of going with his first instinct and snapping her clean. The other benefit, as he moved his way down her body, tending to her with more care than he would have believed himself capable of, was that his constant touch was improving her pallor, the dark circles and pallid color fading to her more normal appearance, the palsy like tremors all but stopping.

Satisfied that she was a clean as she would be without a bath or more Q like intervention, Q snapped away the basin and cloth then stood and settled in a chair by the bed waiting for her to begin to regain consciousness. Touching her had started the process of making her well, but Q knew that she wouldn't be completely recovered until after she had mated with him once again, just as he had planned. He pushed aside the slight tinge of guilt that colored his thoughts. This was the contamination that his long association with humanity had brought. A need for a human mate and a reluctance to do what it took to keep the one he chose with him. Reaching out he stroked back her hair from her face, willing those stormy blue eyes to open once again and tracing the line of her jaw. He couldn't understand how human males could not consider her beautiful still. Aside from the inner strength and intelligence that had always glowed from her, at this age Kathryn Janeway was even more of a beauty, for a human, than she had been before in his opinion.

A soft groan announced Janeway's return to consciousness and Q moved back to the edge of the bed and met her gaze. "Well I hate to say…" His voice trailed off as she seemed to focus on him completely. "Oh wait," a malevolent smile crossed his lips, "I don't hate saying it. I told you so."

"Eventually Q, I will find a way to make you pay for all of this." Kathryn growled menacingly, but the effect was ruined as she tried to lift her arm and failed.

"Somehow, I very much doubt that." Q snapped his fingers and a bowl of clear broth and a spoon appeared in his hands. "At this point you're not even well enough to make an attempt. So why don't we put the posturing aside and get you well." He slid closer and lifted the spoon to her lips which remained sealed shut. "Kathy, if you don't eat you won't be strong enough to …" He paused for a moment and watched as her eyes narrowed. "… do what we have to, to make you completely well again."

"Why don't you just come out and say it, Q? We have to have sex. If I don't, I'll get sick again and likely die." Janeway growled as Q started to bring the spoon to her lips.

The spoon stalled in it's upward path for a moment. "I did try to warn you." He finished raising the spoon and noticed that her lips were in a tight, thin line once more. "Of course you won't die… You can't. I granted you immortality. So you'll just get very badly ill, and it won't be a very pleasant existence." Q watched as Janeway's eyes widened in horror and he lowered the spoon once more. "Come on now, Kathy… It's not that bad. You get to see the rise a fall of civilizations, learn anything you'd like to, do anything you'd like to…"

"So let me get this straight, I get to live forever, confined in this little manor you've built for me in the Continuum, having sex with a creature I abhor." For a moment Kathryn almost felt bad as a flash of pain showed in Q's eyes, but her empathy was ruthlessly crushed as she thought of what he was putting her through. "Thank you *ever* so much for the gift, Q. If you cared about me so much couldn't you have just nullified the virus in my system and let me be properly assimilated."

Q's expression hardened and lost the playful edge he'd had since his reappearance. He set the bowl aside and stood up moving away from the bed, his body rigid and his eyes cold. Kathryn, however, was like a dog with a bone and continued on her tirade. "The absolute worse part of this is that you didn't just manipulate me into having sex with you… You addicted me to it. Purposefully putting me in the position of being forced to do it with you again and again to assure myself of any quality of life in this existence you've forced on me. You don't want me to be your mate, Q… You want me to be your whore."

As Q turned back towards her, Kathryn was taken back by the cold, indifferent expression in his face. As he moved towards her, she had the urge to move further back into the bed, but her muscles wouldn't support her even now. As he reached her side, he crouched down to her level. "Well, why should you be any different than your younger self?" Q taunted as he snapped his fingers.

Suddenly her mind was filled with an awareness, she could feel and hear everything her younger self that had made it home to the Alpha Quadrant felt and thought. The Admiral hadn't thought that it was possible for her to sink any lower into the desolation and loneliness that she had been immersed in before she had made the trip back to change the future, yet for her younger self there was no hope of a better future, not even for a heroic end. By day, her alternate still played the consummate Starfleet officer though the Admiral could feel her younger self's bitter disappointment at being confined behind a desk with a new rank, a new job. Nothing that meant anything real to her younger self, anymore than it had meant anything to her.

It was night, however, when Q chose to meld their consciousness together and at night, the younger Janeway became something else entirely. Kathryn could feel her younger self's growing intoxication, the numbing effect in her body to dampen the pain and hurt that tore at her soul, yet a desperate need to feel anything positive, no matter how fleeting. Not even mattering if it added to the guilt she bottled inside of her that filled her days. Another shot tossed back, as the younger Janeway watched, guessing at who would be the first to grow desperate enough to approach her. She hoped it might be the young man, who was obviously cruising for his first time with a real woman, rather than some holographic creation, but she suspected she'd have to wait until the end of the night, when the real alcohol they served here blurred vision and lowered their expectations, to be picked up. It didn't matter to her, of course, as long as they had a cock to pound into her and fill the aching void inside of her for a few hours.

"This isn't real." The Admiral hissed at Q as she focused on him, pushing her 'alternates' painful thoughts down for the moment. "You're manipulating me again…"

"Am I?" Q looked nonplussed at her accusations, his tone taking on an almost concerned tone. "Have I ever lied to you, Kathryn? Unfortunately this was the outcome of your amateurish meddling with the timeline. Everything else settled out fairly well of course. You accomplished what you set out to. Saved Tuvok, saved Chakotay, saved Seven. In fact you saved pretty much everyone but yourself." Q paused, almost reveling in the stricken look on her face. "Of course, there's nothing to be done about that now. Eventually this will all catch up with her, her family disowns her, she looses her career – well what's left of it, even her Voyager family gives up on her."

Kathryn could feel her stomach spasm once again, if she hadn't been so weak she would have been dry heaving over the side of the bed. Other than the one time, about his feelings towards her that she didn't even want to think about, Q had never lied in her experience. Which meant that everything she felt was real and she had condemned her younger self to a tortured hell of an existence where she'd loose everything she'd ever cared about. It felt as though her heart had been ripped from her chest and was slowly being squeezed until it exploded. Looking up at the omnipotent being with red rimmed eyes, battling to keep the tears confined, the words Kathryn forced from her lips came across as a whisper. "Why didn't you save her, Q?"

Q's expression cracked slightly. The set of his mouth became one more of grief than anger. He moved away from the bed once more and snapped his fingers, severing the contact between this Kathryn Janeway and the other. After a few moments, his strained voice broke the silence. "I couldn't." Another long pause of silence. "Unlike you, she belongs in this time frame. Our non-interference policy applies fully to her. Her path is set and in spite of my omnipotence, I can't do a damned thing to change it." Kathryn could see his grief, ill hidden in his stance. Then his shoulders shook slightly, betraying a fact that the Admiral couldn't even comprehend. Q was about to break down in front of her, grief stricken because he couldn't save her younger self. Before she could speak a bright flash enveloped his body and he disappeared from sight.

=/\=

Still too weak to feed herself, Kathryn managed to cover her body with the blanket and tossed as much as her weakened state would allow. Eventually, she knew Q would return. The only question left to her, was what she would do when he did. Now that Kathryn felt she understood Q's motivations better, it was infinitely harder to be angry with him. It still didn't excuse his actions, but… She curled up tighter as her stomach roiled once again. The guilt was at least partially hers. In her arrogance to make a better future, she'd condemned her younger self. Perhaps, she deserved to be bound to Q for eternity but did he deserve to be bound to her.

Confronting what she had felt from him when they had had intercourse, Kathryn finally acknowledged that for whatever reason, Q did love Kathryn Janeway. She could only assume that had her younger self not spiraled down a path to self destruction, Q would have hidden those feelings, his growing humanity from everyone. Observing from far, content to allow her to live her normal span and die. Instead she had happened, and Q was left impotent to help or protect the one being who had come to mean more to him than anyone other than his own son. A highly unnatural state for a Q to find themselves in, no matter what angle you looked at it from. Ironically, the one piece of that person he could save was responsible for the entire mess to begin with and yet he chose to anyway. Not only did he save her, but his feelings for her younger self extended to her as well. It wasn't any wonder to her any longer that he'd been driven to the actions he had taken. Something inside of her cracked and she felt the tears she'd been holding back course down her face, until there was no more left to cry and she fell into a nightmare ridden sleep.

When Kathryn awoke a few hours later, Q's presence on the side of the bed was not only expected, but almost welcome. The gentle stroking of his hand along her back energizing her body slightly, though she still struggled to ignore the liquid feeling that pulsed through her sex. Yet a sort of disappointment ran through her as he noticed she was awake and pulled his hand back quickly. "You need to eat." Looking into his eyes, Kathryn could see him braced for some sort of acerbic remark on her part, and looked away unable to face more pain. Instead she nodded silently, and used her newly gained energy to roll over, trying to push herself up. Gentle hands slipped beneath her arms and pulled her up into a sitting position, then pulled the blanket up to preserve her modesty. With a snap of his fingers, a new bowl of broth replaced the old that had been left on the bedside table, and he raised the spoon to her mouth. Almost meekly, Kathryn opened her lips and sipped at the proffered spoonful, swallowing it gratefully.

The meal passed in complete silence, neither of them speaking. The only sound the spoon as it touched the bowl. Occasionally the sound of the bowl being set on the table, as Q picked up a napkin to dab away a trickle of soup as it escaped her lips. Both of them avoiding meeting each other's eyes as much as possible, not wanting to see the pain they held. Q allowed the spoon to drop back into the bowl and set it aside, then forced himself to look at her. "Better?" A small nod of Kathryn's head was the only answer he got. "Are you feeling up to a bath?"

Biting her lip, the Admiral looked at him. "I don't know, Q. I'm not that strong…"

"If you will allow me, I will assist you." Q spoke softly, not meeting her gaze.

"Alright," Kathryn moved as much as she was able to free herself from the blankets that were wound around her. As Q turned his attention to freeing her from them manually, Kathryn stopped as much from shock that he was content to help her in the normal human manner, as she did to stop herself from interfering in what he was doing. Once she was free, Q gently lifted her up into his strong arms, cradling her against his chest as he carried her into the bathroom. The first smile she'd honestly experienced in days came to her lips as she noticed the full bathtub, already bubbling from the jets inside it. Obviously Q wasn't going to do everything in a normal human manner, but for some reason this small thing amused her. Slowly Q lowered her into the tub, bracing her against the side and getting quite drenched as he did so. Once she was secure, he pulled back and began to move towards the door of the bathroom. As she watched him go, Kathryn felt her stomach clench and her heart lurch in a manner she didn't expect. "Q," Her voice was unusually tentative, even to her own ears. "You weren't shy before…" She paused as he turned and met her gaze, "sharing my bath." Her smile grew larger as his eyebrow arched. "If you can leave the uniform behind, then you're welcome to join me." Q seemed frozen to the spot. "Please, I just don't feel very secure here. I'm still too weak to really hold myself up."

For a moment, Q wasn't quite certain that he heard her right, but the expectant look in her eyes more so than her final comment was enough to convince him. With a snap, he banished the clothing from his mortal form and felt Kathryn's eyes rove over his body inquisitively for the first time. Unable to stop a small smile from forming on his lips, Q was surprised when a faint blush coated Kathryn's cheeks and she looked away once more, rather than calling him to task for his arrogance. Stepping up to the bathtub, he crouched along side of it and her once more. "Kathryn, I can not stop what my touch will do to you now." He paused and took a breath then cupped her chin so she would face him. "I do not deny that I purposefully set out to induce you to be intimate with me and I knew what the consequences would be. A Q being intimate with a lesser being always creates … a need in that being to be with them again. That part is not something I changed within you, purposefully."

Distracted from her assessment of his body, by his words, a portion of her ire was raised again, but Kathryn met his gaze evenly and controlled it as much as she could. "I understand what you're trying to say, Q, but it's splitting hairs." Biting her lip, she nodded slightly but wondered how many times this sort of thing had happened within the Continuum. "I understand more now than I did before…" She let her words trail off. "Even you can't change this now, can you Q?" A slight shake of his head answered her question.

Kathryn knew better than to ask questions she didn't want the answer to, yet she hadn't been able to stop herself. Of course the answer was what she'd expected. Bound for eternity to Q and even he couldn't change it. A sigh escaped her lips. Now wasn't time to sort through her feelings on the matter. Somehow she would learn to live with her fate. "There's nothing to be done about it then." She met Q's gaze. "I'm waiting for you to get in and help me."

Q's eyebrow arched and a slightly smug grin played on his lips as he looked at her. "Actually, I was more … concerned about how you would be affected when I slide into the bathtub behind you."

Kathryn found herself shivering slightly at the resonant tone of his voice. Swallowing convulsively, she met his gaze evenly keeping her expression calm in spite of what she was feeling. "Nothing to be done about that either." She watched as his eyes darkened, and felt her stomach twist as her eyes dropped to his swelling manhood. "It's going to happen anyway, and sooner is probably better than later." Disturbed by the look on his face and the desires that the sight of his body created in her, she found herself reverting to older tactics. "I don't relish being dependant on you at all, Q, but having to have you feed and bath me is intolerable. In this case as detestable as having sex with you is, its the more tolerable of two intolerable choices."

Though he was amused by her caustic remarks and heartened that she was indeed recovering, Q didn't allow it to show in his expression or tone as he spoke. "Yes, well I can assure you, that I will be equally relieved to not have to deal with your disgustingly primitive bodily functions on a day to day basis either." Q retorted as he slid into the bathtub behind her, the smooth skin and soft curls of chest hair that adorned his human form, rubbing sensuously against her back as he settled behind her cradling her body in his arms.

"You must really be a deviant, Q. To want to have sex with something so much beneath…" Kathryn's retort died away as shock after shock of pleasure coursed through her body. Any tension in her flowed away as the effects of her addiction took hold preventing her from controlling herself as she curled against him, leaning her head back against his shoulder, her breathing becoming more ragged.

The feeling of her body against his, even though he wasn't addicted to her as she was to him, was equally distracting to the omnipotent being. Perhaps, he thought as he snapped up a soft wash cloth and soap and began to lather her body tenderly, he was only lying to himself that he wasn't addicted to her. Perhaps not physically as she was to him but mentally, which was far more real to a Q than anything physical could be, he was. The pain he felt when he though of his inability to help the younger Kathryn Janeway was just as real as the debilitating pain that this Kathryn had felt in the throes of her withdrawal. Perhaps that was all this emotion of love, that these humans touted as the noblest of all emotions, was. An addiction. One they had passed on to him. Shaking himself out of his introspective thoughts, Q continued to gently bath the woman in his arms, feeling the soft warm air of her breath puffing against his skin as she rolled her head into his neck.

Fighting back against the ecstasy that his touch brought, and the desire to feel that sense of oneness, the contentment she had found in his embrace, Kathryn tried to prevent herself from slipping into the euphoria that she had experienced before. "You're omnipotent, Q." Her voice was softer now, almost inviting. "Why can't you change this?"

Q shook his head, shocked that Kathryn had found the presence of mind to speak in spite of the effect he knew he was having on her system. As far as he knew, none of the beings who had experienced this with a Q had been able to fight against the effects enough to maintain rational thought. Of course, none of them were Kathryn Janeway either. With a soft sigh he turned and kissed her forehead. "You're expending energy you need fighting against this, Kathryn, and if you persist I'm going to end up having to bath and feed and cloth you full time. Neither of us want that, so if I tell you, will you promise to give into it again so it can heal you?" Her cheek ran against his shoulder as she nodded in answer. "Very well." He paused for a moment to collect his thoughts. "Even though the Q are omnipotent there are some things we can not change because they are an effect of our existence. Once we had created Junior, he could not be unmade simply because he was being inconvenient. We could change him, his form, take his powers from him, but we could not make him cease to be." He sighed slightly, then looked into her eyes. "I know I am going to regret telling you this, but each of us as individuals are not *entirely* omnipotent. Enough of us banded together can effect another of us, in spite of his wishes. Such as locking Quinn in the comet, or when they took my powers away. It is why we feared what Quinn dying would bring. It may well have set something into motion that none of the Q could have stopped. So unfortunately that means some effects -like what has happened to you are beyond our control as well."

As Q spoke, the sound of his voice slowly became more important to Kathryn than what the words he was saying meant. A voice that normally was the cause of sheer annoyance or worse, now made ripples of delight run through her. Nestled against him, Kathryn could feel his cock wedged against the crack of her buttocks and she whimpered in pleasure at the thought of them joined together once again. Squirming backwards, she rubbed the soft cheeks of her rump against him, hoping it would spur him into action.

It was almost disappointing to Q that Kathryn had finally succumbed once more to the aphrodisiac effect he now had on her. A part of him wanted her to be different, even though he knew there was no possible chance of that. Turning her in his arms, he resettled her so she was straddling his lap and claimed her lips in a passionate kiss, opening himself to her once again, exposing the contamination that humanity had left him with and letting her feel everything he felt for her. A moan of pleasure escaped her lips as his emotions merged with hers, pulling her deeper into the altered state of consciousness that their joining created in her.

While Kathryn was lost in the ecstasy within her mind, Q was more focused on the physical. His tongue traced the line of her neck, reveling in the feeling of her skin beneath it, the taste of her in his mouth. His hand cupped her breasts, kneading them softly, just as a human male would do, his fingers stroking and playing with her nipples. Drawing his knees up, Q laid her back against them then bent to catch the swollen buds in his mouth. A part of him recoiled at the primitive intimacy, yet to him it was more profound than anything he could share with a Q, but perhaps that was more because of who he was joined with than the act itself. His tongue swirled around the turgid flesh, as he suckled at her contentedly, but his hands had already moved on stroking down her stomach and tangling in the mass of unruly silver curls that crowned her mound. Savoring each step and taking his time to enjoy it to the fullest.

Q found himself drawn in further to the taint of humanity in him, elated that she had invited him to join her this time, showing every sign that she would at least accept him into her bed, if not anything more. If he had been human, that might have offended him, but instead he was more than pleased with the result. That she would accept him even that much was more than he had expected from the willful human woman.

As her conscious recognition faded and the link reasserted itself, it became obvious that it was much more intense this time. The merger of their feelings more complete. Kathryn could feel him worshiping her, his mouth and hands touching her body, while his mind touched her soul. Every sensation washed over her. Her entire body becoming her neck as he caressed it with his tongue, her breast as he suckled it, the curls of hair as he stroked her mound. She could feel his needs, his pleasure as well. The throbbing of his cock as he pleasured her, the pressure inside of his balls as he ached to thrust into her, the taste of her in his mouth. Tentatively she reached out to him with her mind, showing him how she would worship his cock, sucking him, kissing the head, caressing his scrotum with a feather light touch, slowly pushing a slick finger into his tight ass. Letting him feel how she would worship him as well.

The wave of sensation rolled over Q and pulled a deep moan from his throat. A soft wet mouth on his cock, a small hand massaging his balls, a slender finger sliding into his ass – all of the feelings that she was bombarding him with striking at once and inundating him with unfamiliar emotion. The shock that followed was no less unsettling for the omnipotent being. Kathryn was reciprocating, which was both impossible and improbable. Impossible since no lesser being had ever managed to function that much while intimately involved with a Q. Though Q felt a glimmer of pride that his beautiful, bold, stubborn Kathy had been the first to accomplish it. It was almost unimaginable what she'd manage to achieve in the eternity they had before them. More shocking was the improbability. Kathryn was reciprocating. With him. Those thoughts were wiped away as another ripple of physical pleasure rolled through him, induced by her tender 'ministrations' to his body and he knew his release was near, a release she needed inside of her. Stepping into their joined minds, Q let her feel his pleasure, his joy at her tenderness, and his need to be inside her physically once again.

Until this moment everything Kathryn had felt from her lover had been passive, now she felt him actively touching her with his mind. She reached out mentally, pulling him to her, welcoming him into their link. They were one in every way but the physical now, and she ached for that as much as he did. Their mutual need prompted them to move together as one, her physical body having recovered some was more responsive now, Kathryn wound her arms around his neck and lifted her hips as he positioned himself, sliding through her slick folds to embed himself fully into her body.

Thrusting up into her as she pumped down onto him, once again their bodies seemed to fuse into one entity. The rhythm of their thrusts making a perfect counterpoint to each other. Their cries of passion joining into a mutual voice. Q could feel her pleasure as distinctly and intensely as he could his own, and had no doubt that she could feel the same from him. His awareness flowed into her, around her, through her, as hers did his. The lines of their individuality blurred, of his Q-dom and her humanity as they shared with one another. Each step taking them higher, closer to their release, yet neither rushing to achieve it, almost reluctant to give up the intoxicating oneness they reached in coming together. The limits of their physical bodies finally were met and Kathryn crashed over the edge as the pressure that had built inside her burst forth volcanically. Searing her nerves with the fires of her orgasm and pulling Q over the edge with her.

An astounding roar escaped from Q's mouth as he exploded inside of her once again, filling her with the energy of his release and pulling her tight to him as the passion ebbed once more. Pulling back out of her mind as the link they shared began to fade, Q couldn't keep his eyes off of her, sitting in silence for a time, trying to comprehend what had happened between them. Unable to settle anything, even for himself, he turned his attention to her. Carefully washing the silken silver mane, and rinsing her off once more, he didn't even consider with his normal disdain how human his actions were. Lifting her into his arms, Q stepped from the bathtub and in a flash they were dry once more, before he even left the bathroom. Even once he had deposited her on the bed once again and tucked her beneath the blankets, Q found himself sitting and watching. Trying not to think.

=/\=

Weeks, or perhaps months passed. Kathryn honestly had no way of telling. In fact decades could have passed and she wouldn't have been aware of it in all likelihood. Living in the Continuum gave her no real point of reference, but Kathryn found she didn't care. In fact, as much as she hated to admit it, she found herself enjoying her time with Q – even when they battled, turning to him long before the addiction demanded that she would, she had even built up a sort of resistance to the effect, enabling her to maintain her control longer before she was lost to it. Reluctant to examine it too closely, Kathryn knew her change of attitude must have been evident to Q, since he'd begun to hint about taking her away from here for a time, showing her the universe from his point of view. A small smile touched Kathryn's lips. It was something she was actually looking forward to.

A bright flash from the living area warned her of Q's return, but a creeping sense of foreboding sat in the back of her mind. A sense that something had gone terribly wrong. "Q?" Kathryn called out as she moved into the main room and stopped just inside the doorway. With his back to her, his stance was rigid and she watched him make a conscious effort to change it as he turned to face her.

"Hello Kathy." A forced smile appeared on Q's lips.

Kathryn's brow furrowed. Having lived with him long enough now or perhaps something left over from the many times they'd linked during sex, she knew without a doubt now that something was terribly wrong. Slowly she walked towards him, then reached up, catching his cheek and ignoring as best she could the sudden rush that flowed through her body with the contact. She met his gaze evenly then caught the sheen of something on his cheek. Brushing the tear with her fingertip, she looked at him questioningly. Both dreading and knowing the answer to her next question. "What's wrong?"

The answer was devastatingly simple and exactly what she expected. "She's gone."

Once again it was as though her body had gone through the withdrawal. Legs collapsed beneath her, breathing became something she had to concentrate to do, her stomach twisted into knots of anguish. This time was different however as the tears rolled down her face, as the guilt for her actions over took her spirit. This time she wasn't alone.

Kneeling along side of her, unfamiliar tears running down his face, Q laid his hand against her back. Even though he was consumed with his own pain, the pain that showed in his lover's face called to him. Soft blue eyes gazed back into his own, then suddenly Kathryn was in his arms, tears still falling down her face as she rocked against him, clinging to him as though she would never let go. The pain of their loss muting the building need in Kathryn that came from his touch.

Pressing herself against him, feeling his solid form in her arms, Kathryn finally admitted how incredibly lucky she had been that Q had come for her. A luck that she didn't deserve as far as she was concerned. Pulling back once again she cupped his cheek, then taking a deep breath, she stretched up and pressed her lips to his. Her tongue caressed his lips, then pressed inside to mate with his.

As the shock of her kissing him melted away, Q's lips softened to match hers. His tongue slid against hers, plumbing the warm wet recesses of her mouth as he nibbled at her lips. He could no more pull away from her insistent kisses than he could stop being a Q, yet a part of him screamed at him for being disloyal to the younger Janeway, the woman he had loved who had died.

As Kathryn pulled away from Q, breathless and already feeling the ache of his effect on her growing inside of her, she watched the being who had given her a second chance at life with a new perspective. The only way she could make amends for being given a gift she didn't deserve was by not squandering it the way she had the first time. New feelings were beginning to germinate for the omnipotent creature who cradled her so gently, who had rescued her, given her that second chance – feelings she was determined not to crush. A second chance that she only regretted neither she nor Q could give her younger self. Suddenly her eyes widened as a wild thought occurred to her, perhaps her time for second chances wasn't up yet.

If Q had been Chakotay, he would have known to back away when a particular look flashed into her eyes, but since he was Q and not Chakotay he didn't. Suddenly Kathryn was kissing him once again, and this time he could sense her allowing herself to fall into the link that formed between them when they mated. "Kathryn?"

Pulling back, Kathryn fought for control over herself, stopping herself from falling completely into the link, yet wanting him to be able to feel her completely as she proposed her plan. "Q… I think I know a way we can give her a second chance."

Q shook his head, "The Continuum won't allow…" Kathryn pressed a finger to his lips and shuddered from the contact.

"I'm not talking about fixing her old life, Q…" She paused and swallowed. "I'm talking about giving her a new life. With us." Kathryn watched as understanding dawned in Q's eyes. "I could carry a baby… You're omnipotent enough for that aren't you?"

What she proposed was insane. Another child. He'd barely survived Junior, and this one would be the essence – the spirit of Kathryn Janeway, carried by Kathryn Janeway. He was insane for even considering the notion. Never mind explaining to Junior how his Aunt Kathryn had ended up being both his stepmother and his little sister.

On second thought, Junior would be thrilled either way and wouldn't require explanation. The Continuum would be annoyed that he'd obeyed the letter of the law, yet again, without adhering to the spirit. Kathryn Janeway would live again as his daughter and would influence the Continuum in ways he couldn't fathom. A intrigued smile crossed his face. The plan had merit.

Kathryn felt her stomach twist in excitement and fear as she saw the gleam in her omnipotent mate's eye. Everything stopped for a moment when she realized what she'd called him in her mind. Instead of allowing her shock to show, she arched her eyebrow at him as he answered her teasing with some of his own. "I am more than capable of planting a child in you, Kathryn… The question is are you up to the task of raising an omnipotent version of yourself."

"She may be a Q, but she'll always be a Janeway." Kathryn retorted.

A smug grin crossed Q's face as he lowered her to the rug beneath him. "We'll see…"

=/\=

No matter what minor alterations Q did to her body, she was still a seventy year old woman and Kathryn was convinced should have been shot for coming up with a plan to carry a child at her age, not to mention her insistence that she give birth naturally. As her next contraction rippled through her, and the EMH they had 'borrowed' to see her through this adventure urged her to push again, Kathryn knew that she was going to spend the rest of eternity trying to figure out exactly how to kill Q.

Baring down once more, the pain was blinding as she felt the intense pressure of the baby squeezing through her birth canal. Even with her immortality, Kathryn wasn't certain how much more she could take and was ready for Q to snap their little girl into her arms, when a sharp cry filled the room. Kathryn's eyes snapped open as she looked down at the smiling face of the EMH, who held the baby out where Kathryn could see her. "Congratulations, Admiral…" He paused then looked at Q reluctantly. "Congratulations, Q. It's a girl."

"We know," Q snapped his fingers then retrieved the perfectly clean and swaddled child from the Doctor, who scowled at the omnipotent being as though he were an interloper in his domain.

Chuckling softly, Kathryn held out her arms and was reassured as Q settled their daughter into her arms. "Thank you for coming and helping us, Doctor." She smiled at him genuinely. "Q will send you home now…"

The Doctor looked almost disappointed to have to go as he smiled sadly. "Of course, Admiral. Please let me know if you ever need my help again." As Kathryn nodded, the hologram disappeared in the typical flash.

Unwrapping the little one carefully, Kathryn satisfied her maternal urge to inspect the little girl. Even though she knew she'd be perfect, she needed to see it for herself, counting both fingers and toes and Kathryn found herself staring into familiar blue eyes. "Hello, my little Katie…" Kathryn cradled her closer to her breast and sighed as the baby rooted instinctively at her breast and latched on. "Life is going to be much different for you this time. I'm not certain how the universe is going to fair with an omnipotent Kathryn Janeway - my temper and Q's powers." Kathryn smirked as she looked towards Q. "And I can almost guarantee that you'll give your big brother a run for his money," She paused and smiled broadly, "but I think you're going to enjoy your new life."


End file.
